Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-02-25

Is Board OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS,
WHITE RIVER Jt.Nr1toV Feb ~ iSS;


lN BOARD % RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS,
WHITE RNERJUNcrioN, Feb -, 1887.
IN the matter ot an accident on The central
Vermont Rod,podW he Ha,iIori B,iige.
Feb =. 1881.
The facts and circumstances attending
the above named disaster a. developed bv
the testimony taken by the board. the sew
eral commissioners and the clerk by the di-
rection of the board and by AN inspection
of the premises shortly after the accident
occurred, are as follows;
Train No. 80 known as the night express
left White River Junction for Montreal at
?:lO o'clock on the morning Of the 18th in
slant This train was made up at the
junction in the following order locomo-
tive and tender, baggage car. combination
mail and smoking car, Boston coach. Spring
field coach, Springfield sleeper st Adams.
and Boston sleeper Pilgrim " The train was
one hour and thirty minutes late The sched-
ule place Of meeting the night express bound
south from Montreal to Boston is Raudulph
That train was correspnndingly late. and
train No. 80 was under orders to meet at
Randolph as usual, and started out accord.
ingly at the hour above indicated. The mum
her of passengers aboard the train was -
distributed rs follows, viz. In the smok ing
apartment of the combination car 3; in
the Boston coach % in the Springfield
coach p in the Springfield sleeper x, and
in the Boston sleeper ID. The train men
were the conductor, engineer, fireman. two
brakemen, baggageman, express messenger.
two postal clerks, Pullman conductor and
two Pullman porters. The distance from
White River Junction to the Hartford, for
merly known as the Woodstock. bridge is
about four miles. South of the bridge is
curve of ) 40 in the track, which becomes
straight again about li2 feet from the
bridge, and 50 continues for some rods be-
yond the bridge. From a point some 80
rods south of the bridge to a point about
l42 feet therefrom the grade is slightly
| downward, when il becomes level, and So
continues to point just beyond the bridge.
At point 80 feet from the abutmemt at
the south end of the bridge, while the train
was moving at speed of less than II miles
AN hour, the rear sleeper, Pilgrim, was
thrown from the rails, but kept the road
bed until it came to the bridge, when the
rear end swung to the right side of the
track to the deck Of the bridge, and thence
to the frozen river below, distance of 43
feet, drawing with it the sleeper and the
two coaches in front, all of which were
crushed in the wreck upon the ice. The
coupling between the Boston coach and the
combination mail and smoking car broke or
unclasped, 50 that the rest of the train was
saved. Fire soon broke out from the wreck
III several places, and it is clearly in proof
| before the board that some of the car, inn
mediately took fire and within IL minutes
from the time they fell to the ice they were
all envelopcd in flames, which reached and
set fire to the bridge which soon fell along
side the burning ears, the wind blowing
the flames Of the burning timhers directly
upon them. The intensely cold weather.
IL below zero--added to the peril of those
! who survival